Politician Pete Hoekstra: 'This was a new type of threat' (Voices of 9/11)

Former U.S. Rep. Pete Hoekstra was named chairman of the House Intelligence Committee in 2004.

Grand Rapids Press File PhotoPete Hoekstra

“It was a day like many others. Asparagus farmers were in my office talking about the challenges of government regulations and foreign imports. They were constituents asking their congressman to help outline solutions to the challenges they were facing. Halfway through the meeting, that all changed. A plane had crashed into the Twin Towers. We didn’t know much at that instant, but we all suspected America wouldn’t be the same. It wasn’t.

“As the facts became apparent that America had been attacked by radical jihadists — al Qaeda — things did change. This was a new type of threat, a threat without borders, a threat from a non-state actor. The America that had been enjoying a supposed “peace dividend” during the 1990s would now be involved in not one, not two, but multiple wars combating this threat.

“While this attack united Americans at first, the complexity of the threat and its duration sowed the seeds for bitter partisan divisions. On the evening of September 11 as we sang ‘God Bless America’ on the steps of the Capitol, America stood together as one country, one people. Within three short years, however, America became bitterly divided. WMDs, the war in Iraq, Guantanamo Bay, and other issues deeply divided our country at the grassroots level. Congress became a brutal, partisan, and paralyzed institution. Through these times, we saw the best and some of the worst in Washington and in America.

“America has changed. Our country experienced a new vulnerability, but we learned how strong America truly is and that it can survive a vicious attack. We saw our leadership and political institutions stressed to the breaking point. Political paralysis made difficult problems seem insurmountable as desperately needed action and bipartisan cooperation was delayed. As Americans, we must once again unite to address the dire problems affecting our security and our economy. Americans yearn for leadership that can put aside partisan politics and serve the interests and dreams of all the people.”